Esparza accuses Gadelha of greasing, wants a rematch
Carla Esparza: “It’s pretty shady to me. I rewatched the fight, and my hands were slipping right off her.”
Claudia Gadelha beat Carla Esparza via Split Decision at UFC 225 on Saturday night. On Monday, Esparza appeared on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, and leveled a serious accusation.
It’s pretty shady to me, said Esparza, as transcribed by MMAjunkie. I rewatched the fight, and my hands were slipping right off her. Even when I was trying to grab armbars during the fight, my arms kept slipping down.
She’s a cheater, but it doesn’t really surprise me. In my opinion, she’s been a pretty dirty fighter throughout [her career], so it is what it is. … Claudia, you’re a cheater, straight up. It’s not cool. It is what it is, but it’s done with.
Esparza said she considered telling referee Rob Madrigal but didn’t know how to go about it.
Esparza followed up on her social network, and called for a rematch.
Hey @ClaudiaGadelha_ i was never scared before and I’m certainly not scared now… rematch?@danawhite @Mickmaynard2 pic.twitter.com/vefgdG4K9P
— Carla Esparza (@CarlaEsparza1) June 11, 2018
And just for the record, I would NEVER publicly accuse someone of anything unless I was 100% sure.
— Carla Esparza (@CarlaEsparza1) June 11, 2018
Gadelha has not responded to the charge, which remains entirely without evidence.